Now, tourists can 'patrol' scenic Sahyadri tiger reserve

The woods are lovely, (but) dark and deep. And the Maharashtra forest department, confronted with illicit tree fellers and poachers, have worked out a win-win formula that will help wildlife lovers experience the beauty of Sahyadri tiger reserve (STR) even while helping them man the forests better during monsoons.

In a unique opportunity, tourists can now accompany forest staff as the latter patrol the scenic STR landscape — located in the western ghats and straddling western Maharashtra and the Konkan — on foot during the monsoons.

The short-staffed department feels increased human presence will deter illicit tree cutters and poachers. Otherwise, tourism in tiger projects is usually stopped during the rains.

"We are planning to allow tourists to patrol the tiger reserve on foot during the day with our field staff. The area is beautiful and will offer a unique experience," Satyajit Gujar, chief conservator of forests (CCF), STR, told DNA, adding this would be the first such hiking-cum-foot patrolling venture in the monsoons. Since covering the valleys in the STR will be tough due to the heavy rains and the terrain, tourists will be able to accompany forest officials only in plateaus that form part of the buffer area and border the inviolate, core areas.

The details of this initiative, including registration, procedures, and fees, will be worked out in a fortnight. "Increased tourist and human presence will deter illicit tree cutters and poachers. Visitors will also be able to get an experience of moving around in this area during the monsoons," explained Gujar.

Jaydeep Das, honorary wildlife warden, Nagpur, said reserves like Pench (2015) and Melghat (2017) had allowed vehicle patrolling for tourists in the buffer. However, the STR will launch foot patrolling. "The buffer is a multiple use area and has villages in proximity. So, illegal activities may take place. This may be checked through this initiative. It also ensures that beat staff patrol their areas," explained Das, a former livelihood expert at Pench and Melghat.

He added in Madhya Pradesh's Pench tiger project this year, tourists, who were part of a patrolling team, had detected wire snares used to poach small animals. The Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala also allows tourists in night patrolling.

"The buffer is a multiple use area and has villages in proximity. So, illegal activities may take place. This may be checked through this initiative. It also ensures that beat staff patrol their areas," explained Das, a former livelihood expert at Pench and Melghat. He added in Madhya Pradesh's Pench tiger project this year, tourists, who were part of a patrolling team, had detected wire snares used to poach small animals. The Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala also allows tourists in night patrolling.

Parts of the STR, which is spread over the districts of Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Ratnagiri, are tough to access due to the hilly terrain. Compounding the problems for forest managers, they also have to deal with a staff shortage in front-line cadre like forest guards and foresters, who cover an around 1 lakh hectare area across the Koyna wildlife sanctuary and Chandoli national park.

However, each beat staff is accompanied by two van majoors (forest labourers) when they patrol the core and one labourer in the buffer. Protection huts have also been built for staff to stay round-the-clock, monitor the area and control poaching and bush fires. Weapons like pistols and rifles have also been distributed to those who have been trained in their use.

Gujar said they would start the venture and gauge the response. "Both, Koyna and Chandoli have excellent nature trails where the tourists will participate in patrolling on foot. These are areas that are otherwise inaccessible for vehicles," he added.

The 1,165.56 sq km STR includes a 600.12 sq km core and 565.45 sq km buffer in Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Ratnagiri. According to the 2014 tiger census, the STR has between 5-8 tigers based on scat DNA and model-based predictions, making it a low-intensity tiger reserve. However, these are not resident, breeding cats, but intermittent visitors.

Activities like bauxite mining in Kolhapur affected the STR's connectivity to source populations and habitats from source populations down south like Karnataka's Kali tiger reserve.